Volleyball notes - Private offerings go public

Volleyball notes - Private offerings go public

It's no surprise to see Hedgesville and Hampshire - two Class AAA teams from West Virginia - make the semifinals of the Hub Classic Tournament Saturday at North Hagerstown High School.

To see the other two semifinal spots filled by Grace Academy and Cumberland Valley Christian - two teams from the academy-school Mason-Dixon Christian Conference - raised a few eyebrows.

"I was talking to my husband after the tournament, and we were saying how excited we were to see how far volleyball has come in the past several years in the Christian schools," said Grace Academy coach Lisa Hill, who's in her fourth season with the Knights. "It's neat to see we can get out and compete with the public schools."

Grace showed its mettle in pool play, taking two of three from the Hubs, who've been in two state finals in the last three seasons. It lost to Hampshire 15-12, 15-10 in the semifinals, but it was one step further than last season's one-game playoff for a spot in the final four.

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"We're just going in with mentality that we want to play our best, no matter who we face," Hill said.

Stop the ride ...

Jefferson picked up its first win of the season Monday night at Berkeley Springs, but not without the biggest fight this area's seen in a while.

The Cougars' 15-11, 15-4, 20-22, 15-6 win was obviously punctuated by the 42-point marathon in Game 3.

"I never have (seen that)," Jefferson coach Beth Poole said. "And I never want to again. It was neat, but still ... oh, it wasn't fun."

The game went back and forth as the Indians tried to stave off a loss and the Cougars wanted to get the heck home.

"The temperature in there was so hot, and I was like, 'No. Let's finish this now. We don't want another game,'" Poole said. "Never was there a time to think (lose and go to Game 4)."

Stop the ride - Part II

McConnellsburg coach Greg Hays pulled more than double duty Saturday at the 11th Lady Spartan Tournament. The tournament director also found himself in a very nice spot in the championship game against defending champion Williamsport.

"It's not just a couple of days, it's more like a week," Hays said. "Anytime you prepare for this ... sometimes it's almost just a relief to be done. But it is pleasing to see us keep playing hard and playing hard."

Watch and learn

Last season Kristine Porac, Megan Foley, Julie Shank and Katie Spoonire played cheerleader as Williamsport rolled to the Class 1A state title.

Already this season, they've been forced to drop the cheering part and take over in crisis situations. With star middle hitter Danielle Munson out and Foley injured, the Wildcats scraped it together to still pull out their second straight Lady Spartan Tournament title.

"I think Katie was able to come through because she got that experience last year as a sophomore on the varsity team," Williamsport coach Kristi Gee said of Spoonire, who was the tournament MVP. "I told the girls returning from last year, as well as the seniors, that I needed leaders on the floor."

The injuries left the Wildcats with a patchwork lineup for the final, but the team sewed up its repeat thanks to a few sacrifices.

"I know Steph Garlitz would only get back row playing time, and she played front row all day long, and she did a great job," Gee said. "She did exactly what we asked of her - no power hitting, but she got the ball over the net and in.

"We're more confident in our skills. ... And this will help, to know when we're down points that we can come back, and that it doesn't take one person to do it."